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The other day I read an article at Awate. It was talking about the cheap propaganda the MOI [Ministry of Information] broadcasts daily. It was a nice article and I would like to add a little to it. Just three days ago the MOI tried to tell us the systematic way of using the mass media, that the western countries use it to dominate the undeveloped countries etc. This is so elementary that an elementary school child even knows it. This is why I am writing this open letter to the Ministry of Information. Firstly, I believe in mixing criticism with praise. I would like to thank the weekly "ab thti camera [Under the camera] program. That program, if Ali Abdu [Minister of Information] will not suspend it, is the best of all your programs. If you ask why, because it is at least transparent. It is telling the mayor and all other Government officials about their shortcomings. This is a criticism specifically to Semere Russom, [mayor of Asmara] because he neglected all the old roads of Asmara while the new road to his villa is as smooth as an airport runway. The rest of the ERITV programs are not deserving of praise. First of all, I would like to criticize all the journalists of the MOI for their hypocrisy and opportunistic behavior. Starting from Menesirs Freweini to the highest director Asmelash. Except some in the higher echelons, most of the employees of the MOI spend most of your time gossiping the real issue whenever you get the chance. You, especially those who are Tyusat [demobilized] are simply doing the job because you will not be paid your salary if you dont. 90% of you are simply waiting for a chance to go on a trip to Europe or the Middle East and end somewhere in England, or Sweden. Even if you know it, let me give the readers a glaring example of the hypocrisy that is going on at Tseserat. LIES
Bread is in critical shortage in the whole of Eritrea. EriTv tried to be smart and brought Freweini to clarify the problem in the program Menesir. That it was totally rubbish all of us know.
In the program, there was an old woman who was interviewed. Also, Raffetto, the chief of Zoba Maekel, and three consumers were interviewed. Her interview and report said that the owners of bakeries are selling the flour which was meant for bread and as a result people are suffering from the shortage of bread. As everybody knows, those interviewed were afraid to talk the truth. Those with business will have their license revoked if they talked otherwise. As for the chief of trade, he only wanted to save his post. He was not even confident in the interview. The PFDJ wanted to shut down any talk of bread shortage because talk like that is what causes revolutions in Africa, not lack of freedoms. This is why Menesir came with its rubbish. The crux of the matter is different, but you will not find it in PFDJ media. People only talk in the streets and bars. I am afraid the PFDJ will one day close all bars because they have become a bastion of transparency and anti-PFDJ struggle. What you cant get in Hadas Eritrea, the radio or TV, you get it in cafes, bars, restaurants, local beer houses. But this is what everybody knows: there is shortage of wheat and as a consequence of flour. Everyone knows that bread is baked from flour. Previously the regular quota of the bakeries was around 95 quintals for a week; now it is only 35 quintals. How can a bakery provide more than its quota? They are not selling flour and creating bread shortage; the truth is there is no flour because there is no wheat. But when PFDJ says it has good rainy season in Eritrea or it doesnt need help from NGOs, it cannot afford to have news that say it has no wheat. OMISSIONS The Agelglot [national service conscripts] are being killed if they are caught while fleeing to the Sudan or Ethiopia. Is there no law in Eritrea? You say there is law but there is no law. Leaving aside everything, a nation should have justice, but people are killed by firing squad for the simple reason of not tolerating the endless agelglot. IRRELEVANT NEWS The other day a friend of me who loves to invent jokes asked me, "are you sure we have not purchased Darfur from Sudan as the USA purchased Alaska from the Russians?" Why do you roar Darfur Darfur, Somalia, Somalia, Qinijit, Qinijit, Oromia, Oromia? From morning to evening all the three outlets of your mass media repeat this. If people were not sleeping during the night you would have continued this useless and monotonous hallucination. It is simply hallucination. Sometimes you suspect that something evil may be going on behind our people's back. I dont know how the poor fellows who read and write the Darfur and Somali issue feel.
INSULTING OUR INTELLIGENCE ERITV occasionally brings news of the Ethiopian parliament while in session. The parliament, whatever may be its shortcomings, is at least transparent. You hear open criticism against the ruling party, the government. I dont know why ERITV choose to bring such thing since it is telling people that
- There is no democracy and no parliament in Eritrea.
- In Ethiopia at least people can make a demonstration.
- In Ethiopia the members of parliament can criticize the prime minister or president or whoever it may be.
In Eritrea, let alone talking openly in a parliament, a parliament itself is not allowed. It is a taboo to talk about such things. Only the Americans and CIA agents talk about these things. There is no parliament meeting, but there is a cabinet meeting. But in the meeting of the cabinet broadcast in ERITV, you see the president, the Ministers and the Generals, but you dont hear what they are saying. It is all mimicking. You see them in the meeting, talking and waving, but the ERITV tells you what they are saying, instead of hearing the words from their mouth. From whom are they afraid? From the Eritrean people? No. They despise the Eritrean people. They know that the people are as meek as a sheep, at least for the time being. They are afraid from world public opinion and from the Eritreans in the Diaspora. Because, if they hear what is being said they will despise them and neglect them as rubbish and nonsense fellows.
Whenever this debate in Ethiopian parliament is shown in ERITV, people say, "Wont somebody tell them that they are only insulting themselves? Even children as young as 12 years old ask such questions. A neighbours child, who saw a picture of the Ethiopian parliament, asked, Listen Mommy, whenever I see the Ethiopian parliament I always hear them talking even if I don't know the language. But when Issayas meets with the cabinet, I only see them mimicking. Are they dumb or they are making the Maim competition?" There is an annual voice less competition, if you have ever seen it. Two groups look at a persons mouth and actions and try to guess what he is saying. [reading lips] It is a sort of mimicking or pantomime. Here they call it maim. In conclusion, the MOI does not lack efficient people. The people are there, but they are the silent majority. If you want to know the fact that you are laughed at and hated by the people, you can ask the populace to send their opinions without writing their names. You will get 99% negative result- below zero. Try to remember that countries we were laughing at while we were in the field for their media and bad governance are now laughing at us. I hope this will open your eyes a little. I am sorry if I have offended anyone, but these are the objective facts in our beloved Eritrea.
[Awate Editor: This article was submitted by an Eritrean writing from Asmara. As with the other recent writers from Asmara (Lt. Kidane and Meseta Kidane), the contribution of "Deret Agelglot" has been translated by Awate staff and is presented here with minor edits, to avoid detection by the "Eritrean mosquito" (the intelligence service.) On behalf of our readers, we take this opportunity to thank Events Monitor, our stringers, Lt Kidane and Meseta Kidane for their invaluable contributions in writing illuminating articles from the "belly of the beast" and welcome "Deret Agelglot" to Awate.]
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